Traits
by Stand In Girl
Summary: They're human, mostly. But Max and Alec received more than just super-strength and overly receptive senses from their feline DNA. Series of Drabbles. MA.
1. Smile

**Overall Summary:** They're human, mostly. But Max and Alec are also part feline, and they got more than just super-strength and overly receptive senses from their spliced DNA. Series of 100-word Drabbles depicting Max and Alec's catlike traits.

**Author's note:** I've tried to make the feline traits as obvious as possible, but if you have trouble understanding it, let me know. I can add them in after each drabble if necessary. Also, this is a new thing for me! I really wanted to give drabbles a shot--and man, are they hard! Fitting everything I want to say into a hundred words is tough, so let me know if you enjoy them!

**Disclaimer:** Don't own _Dark Angel_ or any of its characters.

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**Title:** Smile 

**Timeline:** During _Designate This._

**Rating:** K

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**Smile**

She paced back and forth, her legs stiff from being inside the cramped room and her muscles screaming for activity. It she'd had a tail, it would have been twitching.

Then the cell door opened, and a horribly familiar face peered inside. That face was followed by a body, also startlingly recognizable.

No. He was dead. Had died awhile ago, by her hand.

"Ben?"

But he wasn't Ben. His eyes were different—she'd always known Ben's eyes.

A grin spread across his face, and she was reminded of canaries and cream and all those adages about felines.

"My designation's 494."


	2. Independence

**Title:** Independence

**Timeline:** During _Bag 'em._

**Rating:** K

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**Independence**

"Why'd you leave?"

He shrugged. The question was pointless; she already knew the answer.

"You didn't like working together?"

He shifted his shoulders again, smiling slightly when she scowled at his indifferent reply. "You told me to stay."

"So you go against everything I tell you to do just because I'm telling you to do it?"

Of course. "I'd rather be on my own," he said instead. That seemed to tell her everything she needed to know.

A beat of silence.

"Why'd you come back?"

Ah, now that question wasn't quite as pointless.

He grinned. "You didn't tell me to."


	3. Tricks

**Title:** Tricks

**Timeline:** During _Proof of Purchase._

**Rating:** T

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**Tricks**

They'd gotten him. He had been so sure of himself and his skills, but they'd gotten to him anyway. And now he was in something far worse than a five-by-five cell at Manticore.

He was in a cage.

He stared at his captors through the crisscrossing bars, a snarl itching to be released from his throat.

They wanted him to perform for them; they wanted tricks. Like hell. He didn't _do_ tricks.

"You expect me to believe that you'd turn against your own kind?"

He debated with himself. Then, "Try me."

He wouldn't obey. But he'd still win their game.


	4. Sulking

**Title:** Sulking

**Timeline:** After _Proof of Purchase,_ in the time that Alec went missing.

**Rating:** K

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**Sulking**

She'd wanted him gone. So he'd left.

For two weeks, he stayed out of her life. For two weeks he tried to forget the pain on her face when she'd given up the cure to the Virus. And for two weeks he tried to stop remembering the way he'd apologized to her, looking decidedly away from her burning, angry eyes.

Then the loneliness crept in, and the desire to see her began to pull at him. He was still ashamed, still upset, and in some way still angry. At himself, maybe.

But he didn't want to avoid her gaze forever.


	5. Cat Hater

**Title:** Cat-Hater

**Timeline:** During _Two._

**Rating:** T

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**Cat-Hater**

"Thank God it's Friday."

They were lounging around at Crash, slouching over their drinks in a weary way.

"Work sucks." Sketchy muttered from Max's right, his speech slurred.

"Normal's got somethin' up his ass," agreed O.C, who was seated across from Max.

"Aw, come on guys! It's not that bad."

Max grimaced at that voice. She couldn't deal with "Golden Boy" on top of a crappy week. Sketchy, however, waved him over, and O.C looked less than disgusted.

Alec glanced around at them, and his gaze halted on her hostile face. Then he plopped down in the chair beside her.


	6. Jealous

**Author's note:** Thanks for all the great reviews! Because that last one was the vaguest drabble out of the bunch, I'll go ahead and point out the trait; you know when you have a group of people in a room, and your cat will always find the _one_ person who absolutely hates felines? That's Alec!

And now, on with the show!

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**Title:** Jealous

**Timeline:** During _Some Assembly Required._

**Rating:** T

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**Jealous**

Replaced. That's what it felt like. Only it was worse than that; he _had been _the replacement. And not even a good one. Not even one she _liked_.

"Who won?"

Well, that was obvious. He'd gone up against Sketchy with that robot arm _and_ his transgenic skills. Alec could have won, and he could have done it without the metal parts.

Now brother dearest was being humble about it. That was almost worse. Alec had never even tried humble; did humble work?

"I think it's my turn to buy."

Alec paused for half a heartbeat.

"Yeah, I'll go with you."


	7. Alpha Males

**Title:** Alpha Males

**Timeline:** Sometime after _Some Assembly Required._

**Rating:** T

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**Alpha Males**

"Normal!"

There were shuffling footsteps, noises that sounded suspiciously like a growling animal, and Alec appeared at Normal's window.

"The box is _hissing_."

As if to prove the point, the package trembled violently and meowed. Loudly.

Normal glared. "Someone sent a cat _again_?"

Alec couldn't answer—the box unexpectedly split in two, and he was suddenly scrambling around as he tried to pull the vicious attacker off his arm. The tomcat swung free and pelted toward the lockers.

"Get it!"

They ducked around just in time to see the ferocious animal cuddling up to a _very_ particular brunette.

Alec growled.


	8. Challenge

**Title:** Challenge 

**Timeline:** Sometime after _Brainiac_. 

**Rating:** T, slight language. 

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**Challenge**

She knew from the look on his face that he'd spotted her the second she'd walked inside. 

"Maxie!"

She suppressed a groan and ignored him.

"Aw, come on, Max."

She turned then, and their eyes met. Her entire body stiffened and froze, and a tiny tremor of anticipation skittered through her. She knew he was experiencing much of the same thing; his eyes had grown large, pitch-black drowning out deep green as the seconds ticked away.

Then she pounced. Figuratively, of course.

"You are such an idiot."

"Least I'm not stubborn to the point of idiocy."

"Sarcastic jackass."

"Hard-headed bitch."

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	9. Sleep

**Title:** Sleep

**Timeline:** After _The Berrisford Agenda._

**Rating:** T

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**Sleep**

Alec was out. She stared at him through the small crack in his bedroom door, surprised she was getting away with this. His distress was clear; he didn't even sense another presence.

And an unwelcome one, at that.

But he was asleep. And she was glad. He even looked relaxed—she'd go as far as to say languid. His entire body was stretched out, his back arched lightly, and his limbs were scattered loosely around him. He grunted lowly, and one of his hands twitched.

It was a wonder they couldn't tell what he was just by watching him sleep.


	10. Feet

**Title:** Feet

**Timeline:** After _Berrisford Agenda_, although timeline doesn't really matter in this one_._

**Rating:** T

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**Feet**

Alec had to wonder how he got himself into situations like these.

He looked down at the ground two stories below him and tightened his grip on the windowsill. Deliveries gone sideways apparently led to guns these days, and Alec had been forced to take the closest exit—the window.

Talk about shooting the messenger.

The bulky parcel in question flew out of the window—directly onto his head. His fingers slipped; Alec plummeted downward.

With a muffled thump, he landed crouched on his feet, his hands just brushing the ground.

He breathed, deeply. Then he hastily exited the scene.


	11. Bothersome

**Title:** Bothersome

**Timeline:** Before _Freak Nation. _

**Rating:** K

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**Bothersome**

"What'cha doing?"

Max glanced up, scowled, and looked pointedly away.

"Max?" He waited; she didn't respond. After a second of silence he continued, "Maxie, answer me." Persistence bordering on defiance.

She threw the stack of papers she'd been perusing aside and faced him; exasperation bordering on petulance. "_What_, Alec?"

"Are you going to Crash tonight?" The question was simple and unexpected.

She rolled her eyes and made a grab for her folder. Alec noticed the movement and reached the file before she did; his hand sat flatly and resolutely on top of it. Blocking her.

"Well?"

"_Yes_, Alec, I'm going."

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_So, this was supposed to go up a few days after Feet, but I... completely forgot about it. Terrible, I know. This is the last one I have written, but I'm planning for a few more. Thanks for reading (if you still are)!_


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